Source: Albanian Orthodox Church
March 29, 2025
To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever (Rev. 1:6). I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and I will glorify Your name forevermore. For great is Your mercy toward me. (Ps. 86:12-13)
With these words from Holy Scripture, I wish to express my deep gratitude to God for all the good things He has done for me and for our Church. Thanksgiving to God also includes all those people through whom God made these things possible.
We thank and honor the martyrs of Illyria who spread the light of faith in the lands where we live, witnessing with their blood and lives; the venerable saints who kept the light of faith through the centuries; the new martyrs who, in an extraordinarily difficult time for our church and country, gave their lives to preserve their faith, national identity, and language. A long list that we will always remember with honor and gratitude.
During the second half of the 20th century, the Church faced fierce communist persecution. The entire material and human infrastructure was completely destroyed. Churches and monasteries were demolished to their foundations or converted into stables, warehouses, etc. They destroyed the outer walls, but they could not destroy the faith in people’s hearts. Thousands of devout men and women were pursued and persecuted because of their faith, many of whom gave their lives for that faith. It was precisely the testimony of these people that inspired thousands of others to maintain and make the Christian faith the center of their lives, becoming a real example of the Lord’s promise that the gates of hell will not overcome His Church, built on the rock of faith (Mt. 16:17-18).
… Read the rest at the site of the Albanian Orthodox Church.
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